Fave Scene Designers?

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:26pm

I recently found for 5 bucks a library discard copy of the WONDERFUL book collection of Boris Aronson's designs for the theatre (compiled by Frank Rich) which already is in my top list of theatre releated books.

Who do you think ar ethe most important/personal fave set designers over th eyears particularly for musical theatre? Aronson tops my list and it's too bad he passed away soon after Pacific Overtures--So many of these images are gorgeous--the birch trees for Night Music painted on clear plexiglass so that they'd slide across the stage, wiping out characters and scenes behidn them to reveal new ones and help Prince's cinematic staging. Follies with its just astonishing set that was also very influential. The classic Cabaret set-again insanely influential. The gorgeously textured Zorba, the cold and steely Company, the way so much of Pacific Overtures folded out almsot like origami... It's too bad that in none of the revivals of these works have the sets been replicated as I don't think they've ever been topped and Sondheim himself has mentioned how seeing Aronson's models often influenced the music he had yet to compose.

I also am fascinated by Maria Bjornson's designs--it's truly upsetting she died as young as she did. Her website doesn't have enough designs for my taste but her Phantom sets are classic--it's funny how many audiences think about how elaborate Phantom is when your eally realize how much Bjornson does with blacki spaces and the power of suggestion (I truly think a big reason the film misses the power of the piece on stage is because a huge percentage of that power is from the design). I don't think Bjornson did much other musical theatre--I love her designs for Aspects of Love using those giant panals in the back that would revolve, etc even if I think the original staging was a bit too grand for a small show. And I think her Follies for London is really the only set I've seen for the show that rivals Aronson's (hnot too hard considering how crappy the Broadway revival set was). The way she used plastic contruction covering to show the ugly decrepit theatre, adn then lit up to look translucent and grand is a stroke of genius (it should be said of course that Bjornson has even said that her Phantom overture design--when the theatre comes to life was inspired a bit by Aronson's Loveland for the original Follies).

I could add more but that's a start--other people's faves, who have consistantly been strong?

E

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:27pm

I like Alexander Dodge


http://www.alexanderdodgedesign.com

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:29pm

I think of the more recent ones, Robin Wagner and Tony Walton are two of the biggest names in set design right now.

Jo Mielzner was another great set designer.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:29pm

I like the amount of detail and research Marja Bjornson does for her designs. Have you seen the video of "LIttle Prince"? It's gorgeous.

Aronson is ok, Ming Cho Lee, Eugene Lee and Douglas W. Schmidt are my favorites thought.

Ming Cho Lee for his insane amount of detail (and the giant T-Pin story).

Eugene Lee just makes neat stuff.

And Schmidt has a similar design style to me.

[jv92]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:30pm

I wish I could obtain a copy of the Aronson book. Eric, if you have a scanner, would it be possible for you to scan in some images of some of the designs from that book for us to see, mainly the Cabaret, Company and Follies pictures?
I love Aronson's work. I love Tony Walton's work and Bill and Jean Eckart were wonderfully original as well. A book came out last year on their work and it's just delightful. Another favorite of mine of Robin Wagner.
Of course there are the classic designers of the Golden Age, Mieltziener, (I have I feeling a butchered that one.) Oliver Smith, Lem Ayers among others. They're great too.


Updated On: 5/26/07 at 10:30 PM

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:34pm

Eugene Lee, Bob Crowley, and whoever designed the sets for The Light in the Piazza. His name escapes me at the moment.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:35pm

"Aronson is ok"

You're entitled to your opinion, but OK????!!!!! His set for Follies alone is a masterpiece. He could've just deisgned that and have been ranked on of the greatest set designers of all time. But, Follies, Company, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Cabaret, Do Re Mi, etc. There are just SO many that prove what a genius he was. He knew exactly which colors worked together, and the contrast of shapes to make illusions...just brilliant.

Oh! Oliver Smith is another major name in Broadway set design.

[mateo]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:36pm

Akiva.


:)


As someone who has designed many sets- I don't know many Scenic Designers. I know. I'm horrible- and I should know, But I don't.

[jv92]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:37pm

I forgot Aronson did Do Re Mi! Those microphones! That's an Aronson image. I should have remembered that. David Rockwell also paid homage to that image in Hairspray and Aronson, to my knowledge, is Rockewell's very favorite set designer.

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:39pm

I had previously read the Aronson book thru an interlibrary loan so was always keeping an eye open for it--I see Amazon has some used copies but they're upwards of 50 bucks (that said it's a huge coffee table art book so it probably always sold for around that...) Highly recommended

I don't have a scanner But I migth be able to scan some at work in the week--the pics are wonderful especially to see some of them in colour (or details like how Company outa town had a more complex set with a waterfall and more projections)

Smith is pretty important--Mielzner too of course though I always associate him more withhis non musical designs (the classic Tenn Williams plays ofr example--even some cutting edge technique like his projections for Sweet Bird of Youth) There's a great book on his designs as well

I had neve rheard the names of the Eckerts before until recently Iw as trying to find good photos of the Anyone Can Whistle set and realized they were the designers. What's the bookon them called and did it have any desings from Whistle?

Husk you're right Little Prince has GORGEOUS designs. I know in Bjornson Hal Prince has said he found for the first time a designer who understood his shows as clearly as Aronson did--too bad they never got to work again

(And WIckedfan you forgot the gorgeous sets Aronson did for Fiddler too )

Updated On: 5/26/07 at 10:39 PM

[jv92]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:44pm

The Eckart book is called The Performing Set. It has very little of Anyone Can Whistle, bascially because most of the designs and such were destroyed in a fire. There are wonderful chapters on Damn Yankees, Fiorello!, She Loves Me, Mame and others. The text isn't particularly anything to call home about. The author makes various mistakes, espeically in regards to the Tony Awards. (He makes them seem like Variety citations rather than actual awards.) The Eckarts themselves also are (or I guess were) quite negative too. They don't (or I suppose didn't) seem to recall Mame fondly. They talked about Lansbury almost getting fired and complained about people not liking it out of town and called it boring and old fashioned. I don't trust them though. I do trust Jerry Herman and he has nothing but good things to say about the Mame experience.
Updated On: 5/26/07 at 10:44 PM

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:51pm

D'oh! You're right I did. While I really dislike Fiddler, Aronson's sets were gorgeous!

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:54pm

Speaking of Aronson, does anyone know why he didn't design the sets for Sweeney Todd? Not that I don't love Lee's original design, but I wonder why Aronson didn't design Sweeney.

[jv92]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:56pm

I believe he died or retired. By then Prince had also sort of found a new team of designers and a new choreographer. He stopped working with Pat Birch for a time after Pacific Overtures and moved to Larry Fuller who he worked with until the mid 80s.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:57pm

Yeah, I think Aronson died by that point. Would've LOVED to see what he would have done with it.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:58pm

Bob Crowley
Anna Louizos
David Gallo
Santo Loquasto
John Lee Beatty
Robin Wagner
Allen Moyer

I enjoy them.

[jv92]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 10:59pm

Allen Moyer- loved his set for Grey Gardens!
Anyone that isn't fairly recent Munk?

In regards to Aronson's Sweeney Todd-
I think he would have talked Prince into making it smaller, as Sondheim intended it to be. (Nothing against Hal Prince's huge production at The Uris. It was stunning!) All of his shows with Prince were so big. Perhaps he would have wanted to experiment with a smaller set? Updated On: 5/26/07 at 10:59 PM

Posted: 5/26/07 at 11:01pm

I have no interest in FIddler partly cuz I was in it and saw it SOO muich as a teen I've overdosed but those Chagall (sp?) inspired sets are fabulous.

I believe The Eckarts wrote an article in an old Sondheim Review about their experiences with Whistle--they seemed very fond of the show (which was nice to read especially as I had recently read Don Walker, the orchestrators, hateful comments abou tthe score)

Aronson passed on in... 1980? But he was pretty sick and retired by the time of Todd--Prince was interested in getting him to do it (and i believe Evita at one time too)

I like EUgene Lee but the three shows of his I've seen (Wicked, Sweeney and Ragtime) while the sets were basiclaly perfect for the shows they didn't grab me the way the others I've mentioned did

I suppose John Napier deserves to go here--for sheer consistancy alone

[jv92]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 11:05pm

Was it Don Walker who said nasty stuff about Whistle? I could have sworn it was Herb Greene, the conductor.
By the way, Mr. Greene (or Mr. Walker, this can apply to both men) had no business saying such mean things. Anyone Can Whistle's score was no less accesible than The Music Man's or Most Happy Fella's. For God's sake- Music Man starts off with a number that is through spoken with no orchestration at all! And one of them complained about Simple!?

I would have loved to see Aronson's take on Evita! The set for Prince's production was good, but did nothing for me. The lighting was something though. Updated On: 5/26/07 at 11:05 PM

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 11:06pm

I do enjoy Napier's work.

And, I'm going to be in the minority, but I have never just been blown away by Aronson...I like his work, he does well, I'm just not all googly eyed over him.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 11:06pm

Smith deserves to be mentioned for Camelot alone. Also ,whoever did the set design for the Mary Martin flop "Jennie" deserves some recognition. I was immeditaely captivated when I saw a picture of the scene where Mary Martin is hanging from a branch, trying to save a baby from a waterfall. I didnt' care at all about what was happening in the scene, but the set was fantastic.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 11:07pm

I didn't know Aronson was sick during Todd. I can imagne his set being stunning.

[jv92]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 11:08pm

Those Camelot sets are gorgeous. Everyone should try to find a copy of the LP from its original release. It's filled with gorgeous full colored photos of the sets and costumes by Adrian which were equally stunning.
Smith also did wonderful work on My Fair Lady, which was quite mamoth for its day.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 11:11pm

I just want to put in a little love for Anna Louizos.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/26/07 at 11:12pm

George Jenkins! That's his name! He's still alive today and last designed a set for Sly Fox in 2004! In his mid-90's no less! Thank you ibdb.com!